Shall I mind the class?
Manaswini Sridhar
Some workshops are memorable just for the right reasons! The workshop in a school in Belgaum, where I was trainer for primary and middle school teachers, was one such experience. The participants were teachers of the English language and other subjects. In such workshops, I sometimes find that the teachers of other subjects such as mathematics, hindi, science, social studies, art and craft and physical education are uninterested or indifferent participants because they feel that the workshop is not for them, even though they use English as a tool to teach their subjects. As teachers, if we are fortunate enough to be exposed to any kind of knowledge that may be beneficial – to us, our students or to our children – we should have the sense and the responsibility to grab it, especially when it comes without a price tag attached to it! We need to acknowledge that no matter what subject we teach, if the medium of instruction is English, then it is mandatory that we equip ourselves with the right kind of English so that children (who most often spend more time with the other subject teachers) pick up correct English, and they do not unnecessarily spend a lot of time unlearning the ungrammatical English that he/she has picked up from someone else; as we all know, unlearning is the most trying and time-consuming exercise.
In the workshop mentioned, an art and craft Sir volunteered to speak about the importance of English. It had such a profound effect both on his fellow teachers and on me that I would like to share his comic narration, which was also very moving.
This happened about 20 years ago on my first day at school as a primary school art and craft teacher in an English medium school. I had no knowledge of English; I didn’t think I needed to know English because I was going to teach the children how to draw. I would be drawing on the board and I would help children pick up drawing skills. I did not foresee that I would need language skills to do this or to do any kind of classroom management!
I walked into the class and I drew an object on the board and indicated to the children to replicate it. There was light chatter in the class, which soon turned to a rumble and then plain noise. Since I was not equipped with the right English vocabulary to make them quiet, I used the familiar, “Sh…”. I said it rapidly, and I also used the prolonged version, but it was to no avail. The students just wouldn’t stop their chatter and the noise level was increasing dangerously. A young girl (who I later discovered was the class monitor) came up to me and asked, “Shall I mind the class?” I am now able to repeat these words to you, but back then, I had no idea what she was saying. So I shooed her away! I then went back to silent acting, hoping to make an impact on the students. The child came to me again, with the same request. Again, I shooed her away. By the time she came to me the third time (yes, what a lovely, relentless child!) I thought to myself, “Let’s see what she means. It couldn’t be worse than what is happening!” So, when she asked me, “Shall I mind the class?”, I nodded. The little girl immediately went around saying the appropriate words and handed a very quiet class back to me. I had learned my first English sentence! I also understood then how important it is for me to learn English. I needed it to teach and manage my students.
Needless to say, the speech met with a huge ovation from the fellow teachers because it was a story that had come from experience, and also from the heart. My personal commendation of the teacher who was willing to learn from a child, and the child whose sense of responsibility was so strong that she thought it was her duty to come to the rescue of her teacher!
As a trainer and as a teacher, I will always remember this anecdote because this is what a workshop is all about…participation by the participants. A workshop is not a lecture session in which the listeners take down notes and listen passively. It is an opportunity to clarify doubts, contribute towards one’s own enrichment and that of the other participants by discussing and interacting not only with the trainer but also with the other participants. Teachers should not don the cloaks of their students and be shy of asking questions or referring to instances from the classroom or the textbook so that other teachers also comprehend that they are not alone in what they deemed to be their peculiar situation.
A workshop is a platform that affords an opportunity for teachers to interact with teachers of other subjects or other schools. It does them a world of good if they can shake off the company of their own colleagues and interact with others so that they get a broader understanding of the world of education and get a different perspective on teaching, on classroom management and other issues that all teachers have.
The responsibility also rests with the trainer in being able to make the teachers comfortable enough to ask questions, to contribute and ultimately to make the session mutually fruitful. A workshop remains a lecture session unless there is a healthy exchange of ideas and information. Teachers should shed their shyness and be prepared to listen, process, discuss and engage in the activities of the workshop with the passion of an enthusiastic student.
Like the art and craft teacher, if you are not very confident of your English language skills, use another language and communicate your thoughts. You never know what profound impact you may make on those around you! I continue to narrate the incident mentioned by the teacher in all my workshops, and I know for a fact that teachers are equally impressed by the incident, and somehow it encourages them to open up too!
Tip of the month
Greeting your students with the right enthusiasm helps set a positive tone to your class. Ensure that your students greet you with the right tone too. As you leave your class, leave on the right note by saying, “Have a nice day.” Without lecturing, you would have taught your students a fundamental social etiquette.
The author is a teacher educator and language trainer based in Hyderabad. She can be reached at manaswinisridhar@gmail.com.
